Friday, July 07, 2006

Proportionate response

Israel has widened its offensive in the Palestinian territories, carrying out a strike in the West Bank following a day of violence in Gaza during which at least 17 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed. A number of Palestinian militants have been injured in an Israeli Defence Force attack on alleged terrorist leaders in the West Bank town of Jenin. The attack missed its key targets, with the leaders of the Al Aqsa Martyrs brigades and Islamic Jihad escaping unharmed.

In 1948, when the UN declared the partition (which basically divided the territory so that Israel got the majority Jewish bits and the Palestinians got the rest) Israels neighbours and the Palestinians declared that they would drive the Jews into the sea. The same happened in 1967 and in 1973. Since then terrorism rather than war has been the preferred tool of the Palestinians.

There isn't a cycle of violence, as much as continuous violence on the part of the Palestinians and response by Israel.

What is the good of blaming Israel for collective punishment and staying silent while virtually every operation of the palestinians targets innocent civilians?

I don't understand why Palestinian anger is puzzling - the Jews are not rolling over, and indeed seem to be ramping it up. That's not supposed to happen.

Quite immature of them, but also totally expected.

As for islamic doctrine, well, if everyone is supposed to submit to Allah, and they're not, then they should be punished.

Again, it's not going the way it should according to Palestinian minds, and since they will never blame themselves for their predicament, then they will point the finger and their frustration at the nearest thing.